Batu Badaong Batu Badaong adalah cerita rakyat yang berasal dari Maluku dan Maluku Utara. Batu Badaong adalah nama dari Maluku, sedangkan di Maluku Utara cerita ini bernama Batu Belah. Di sebelah utara kepulauan Maluku, tepatnya di daerah Tobelo hidup sebuah keluarga nelayan di rumah yang berdinding daun Rumbia.
Bahasa inggris Once upon a time, in ancient times, there lived a wealthy family in a small village on Tanimbar Island, Maluku. The family consists of father, mother, eldest son and youngest daughter. The father spoiled his two children very much. He always complied with whatever they wanted. This makes them arrogant and spoiled. Not only that, they are also very lazy. How not, in their house there are many servants who are always ready to do housework. One day, bad luck hit their family. The father, who was away to trade, suddenly disappeared into the ocean waves. Since his father was the only person working, since his departure, the family has relied on his savings to survive. To save expenses, the mother then dismissed all the servants. He then replaced the duties of the servants, such as cleaning the house, cooking, or washing clothes. Everything he did sincerely. The money left by his father is dwindling. The reason is, the Eldest and the Youngest never stop wasting money. The mother often asked them to save money. However, they never heard his words. Until finally, the savings ran out with nothing left. In the end, the mother sold the house they had been living in. He then bought a small hut with only soil. “Husband, if only I had been working, maybe now our family life would not be as sad as this. I'm sorry that I have been relying on you too much," said the mother to herself one third of the night. After moving into the small shack, the attitude of the two kids grew even more annoying. The youngest often yells at his mother just because the food menu is not delicious. Likewise with the Eldest, he often scolded his
mother because the house was too shabby. Anyway, they treat the mother like a servant. Of course, the middle-aged woman felt very hurt. However, he could only surrender. After all, they are his children, so he still gives the best for his children. When night fell, the mother often wept bitterly while praying, “Forgive me, Lord. I failed to educate my children. I have failed to make them dutiful children. Yes, my Lord, open their hearts, give them awareness, so they will return to Your way." The next day, Mother went to the forest to look for firewood. He then sold it to the market. The results were not much, but there was nothing else he could do to earn rupiah coffers. Meanwhile, the Eldest and Youngest did not help their mother at all. When dawn came, they were still fast asleep, while Mother rushed up to go to the forest. By noon, the mother had returned home to prepare food. Only then did the youngest and the eldest get up for lunch. After that, they just chilled out. In fact, after eating and cleaning the house, the mother went straight to the river to wash clothes. Her struggle was really hard as a mother who supports two spoiled and selfless children. One day, the weather was very cloudy. After looking for firewood and selling it, the old woman went straight to the river to wash clothes. She didn't have time to prepare lunch for fear that it would rain soon. Even though his stomach felt hungry, he endured so that he could finish all his work before the rain started. She also hopes that her children can prepare their own lunch. At least for themselves. However, expectations do not match reality. When he woke up, the youngest went berserk when he found the table without food. He then complained to his older brother, “Sis, look! Mother did not prepare us
food. Empty table no food! Where has he gone? He should have prepared us some food first!” “Hmm, he must be washing clothes in the river. Let's go to the river," said the older brother. In a state of anger, the Eldest and Youngest came to meet their mother to the river. Without asking, the Eldest immediately kicked his mother's laundry until it fell scattered. "Why did you do that my son?" said the mother surprised. Not to be outdone, the youngest immediately held his mother's hand. He then swung heavy punches at the old woman's body. In fact, his mother's body is very thin. Of course, the punch hit him to the bone right away. “Excuse me, son. What's wrong? Why are you rude to Mother? What's wrong, Mother?" asked the mother, crying in pain. However, the youngest never stopped beating his mother. When he was tired, he stopped hitting and said, “You useless woman. So far, I haven't eaten. I'm starving. He said you're my mother, you should treat me and my brother well! “Shouldn't it be Father who goes, but you! You can't even make good money!” added the Eldest. Hearing her biological children say that, this old woman could only cry while holding her body in pain. Eldest and Youngest then dragged the woman back to the house. They ask her to prepare food soon. After preparing food while enduring body pain, the mother went straight to the room. Without feeling guilty, the Eldest and Youngest ate the food their mother made. In the room, the old woman prayed, "Lord, please just take my life. I can't stand my children's behavior anymore. Let me catch up with my husband, Lord. They are right, I should be the one who left this world.”
After praying, the mother fell asleep in her prostration. He looked very tired of enduring the pain of heart and body. Then, she dreamed that she met her husband. In the dream, the husband took him to the river. In that river, there is a very big rock. The stone gives off a soothing warm glow. Shortly thereafter, the rock was split in two. The husband then entered into the rock. After that, the mother woke up from her dream. "Why did I dream like that? What is this sign?” he asked himself. Out of curiosity, he came to the river. That night it rained heavily. However, this woman did not care. He continued walking towards the river. In his heart, he wished the stone really existed. Seeing their mother leave, the Eldest and Youngest followed silently. They are worried if their mother runs away leaving them. "Just watch out if he lets go of the responsibility of taking care of us," said the youngest to his older brother. Not long after, he arrived at the river bank. He then looked around the river to find the stone in his dream. Suddenly, he saw a light and the rain just stopped. He walked towards the source of the light. Then, he saw a big rock just like in his dream. “Is this the stone in my dream? Is it true that this stone can be opened?” he asked himself. “O big rock, open it. Let me come inside. Make me a lush tree with fragrant flowers," he said to the stone. Not long after that, sure enough, the rock slowly opened. When about to go into it, suddenly the youngest screamed. "Mother. Don't go in there! What if you can't come back?” he said. "Yes, that's exactly what I expected. I was indeed the one who brought you into this world, but considering your mistreatment, what's the point of me living? You are no longer my children," said the mother. He then walked into the stone.
In the twinkling of an eye, the stone closed again. The youngest and eldest were shocked. They couldn't believe what had just happened. The youngest began to cry. He kept screaming for his mother. "Moms! Get off the rock. How can we live without you. We promise not to do anything bad to you again. Forgive us mother," he shouted while crying. Suddenly, above the rock appears a tree with green leaves that are soothing to the eye. The tree also emits white flowers that smell good. Because of this, people then called the stone the Badaong Stone, aka the stone with leaves. Then, what about the fate of the cruel brothers? They have regretted their actions. However, the regrets came too late. The local people who knew about the atrocities of the Eldest and Youngest expelled them from the village. Because they had nowhere to go, they came to Batu Badaong. Incessantly they weep over the stone. They hoped the stone would open and return the mother. Bahasa indonesia Alkisah, pada zaman dahulu, hiduplah keluarga kaya raya di desa kecil daerah Pulau Tanimbar, Maluku. Keluarga tersebut terdiri dari ayah, ibu, anak sulung lelaki, dan bungsu perempuan. Sang Ayah sangat memanjakan kedua anaknya. Ia selalu menuruti apa pun keinginan mereka. Hal itu membuat mereka punya sifat yang sombong dan manja. Tak hanya itu, mereka juga sangatlah pemalas. Bagaimana tidak, di rumah mereka ada banyak pelayan yang selalu siap sedia melakukan pekerjaan rumah. Pada suatu hari, nasib sial menghantam keluarga mereka. Sang Ayah yang sedang pergi untuk berdagang, tiba-tiba menghilang terbawa arus
ombak laut. Karena sang Ayah adalah satu-satunya orang yang bekerja, semenjak kepergiannya, keluarga tersebut mengandalkan uang tabungan darinya untuk bertahan hidup. Untuk menghemat pengeluaran, sang Ibu lalu memberhentikan semua pelayan. Ia lalu menggantikan tugas para pelayan, seperti membersihkan rumah, memasak, atau mencuci baju. Semua ia lakukan dengan ikhlas. Uang peninggalan sang Ayah semakin menipis. Pasalnya, si Sulung dan si Bungsu tak ada hentinya menghambur-hamburkan uang. Sang Ibu kerap meminta mereka untuk berhemat. Namun, perkataannya tak pernah mereka dengar. Hingga akhirnya, uang tabungan habis tak bersisa sedikit pun. Pada akhirnya, sang Ibu menjual rumah yang selama ini mereka tinggali. Ia lalu membeli gubuk kecil yang hanya beralaskan tanah. “Suamiku, seandainya saja aku sedari dulu bekerja, mungkin sekarang hidup keluarga kita tak semiris ini. Maafkan aku yang selama ini terlalu mengandalkanmu,” ucap sang Ibu dalam hati pada sepertiga malam. Setelah pindah ke gubuk kecil, sikap kedua anak itu semakin menyebalkan. Si Bungsu kerap membentak ibunya hanya karena menu makanannya tak lezat. Begitu pula dengan si Sulung, ia kerap memarahi ibunya karena rumah terlalu kumuh. Pokoknya, mereka memperlakukan sang Ibu seperti seorang pelayan. Tentu saja, wanita paruh baya itu merasa sangat sakit hati. Namun, ia hanya bisa pasrah. Bagaimana pun juga, mereka adalah buah hatinya, sehingga ia tetap memberikan yang terbaik untuk anak-anaknya. Saat malam tiba, sang Ibu kerap menangis pilu sembari berdoa, “Ampunilah hamba, Tuhan. Hamba gagal mendidik anak-anak hamba. Hamba telah gagal menjadikan mereka anak-anak yang berbakti. Ya, Tuhanku, bukalah hati mereka, berikan mereka kesadaran, agar mereka kembali ke jalan-Mu.”
Keesokan harinya, Ibu pergi ke hutan untuk mencari kayu bakar. Ia lalu menjualnya ke pasar. Hasilnya memang tak seberapa, tapi tak ada hal lain yang ia bisa lakukan untuk mendapatkan pundi-pundi rupiah. Sementara itu, si Sulung dan Bungsu sama sekali tak membantu ibu mereka. Saat subuh tiba, mereka masih terlelap dalam tidur, sedangkan Ibu bergegas bangun untuk ke hutan. Menjelang siang, sang Ibu sudah kembali ke rumah untuk menyiapkan makan. Barulah si Bungsu dan si Sulung bangun untuk makan siang. Setelah itu, mereka hanya bersantai-santai ria. Padahal, usai makan dan membereskan rumah, si Ibu langsung ke sungai untuk mencuci baju. Sungguh berat perjuangannya sebagai seorang ibu yang menghidupi dua anak manja dan tak tahu diri. Pada suatu hari, cuaca sangatlah mendung. Usai mencari kayu bakar dan menjualnya, wanita tua itu langsung pergi ke sungai untuk mencuci baju. Ia tak sempat menyiapkan makan siang karena khawatir hujan kan segera turun. Meski perut merasa lapar, ia tahan demi bisa menyelesaikan semua pekerjaannya sebelum hujan turun. Ia juga berharap anak-anaknya bisa menyiapkan sendiri makan siang. Minimal untuk diri mereka sendiri. Namun, harapan tak sesuai kenyataan. Saat bangun tidur, si Bungsu mengamuk saat mendapati meja tak ada makanan. Ia lalu mengadu kepada kakaknya, “Kak, lihatlah! Ibu tak menyiapkan kita makanan. Meja kosong tak ada satu pun makanan! Ke mana perginya dia? Harusnya ia menyiapkan kita makanan dulu!”. “Hmm, ia pasti sedang mencuci baju di sungai. Ayo kita ke sungai,” ucap sang kakak. Dalam keadaan marah, si Sulung dan Bungsu datang menemui ibunya ke sungai. Tanpa bertanya, si Sulung langsung menendang cucian ibunya hingga terjatuh berserakan. “Kenapa kau berbuat demikian anakku?” ucap sang Ibu terkejut.
Tak mau kalah, si Bungsu langsung memegang tangan ibunya. Ia lalu mengayunkan pukulan bertubi-tubi ke badan wanita tua itu. Padahal, tubuh ibunya sangatlah kurus. Tentu saja, pukulan itu langsung menghantam tulang-tulangnya. “Ampun, Nak. Ada apa gerangan? Kenapa kalian kasar kepada Ibu? Apa salah Ibu?” tanya sang Ibu sambil menangis kesakitan. Namun, si Bungsu tak kunjung berhenti memukuli ibunya. Saat sudah lelah, ia pun berhenti memukul dan berkata, “Dasar kau wanita tak berguna. Sampai jam segini aku belum makan. Aku kelaparan. Katanya kau ibuku, harusnya kau memperlakukanku dan kakakku dengan baik!”. “Seharusnya, bukan Ayah yang pergi, tapi kau saja! Kau bahkan tak bisa menghasilkan uang dengan baik!” imbuh si Sulung. Mendengarkan anak-anak kandungnya berkata seperti itu, wanita tua ini hanya bisa menangis sambil memegang tubuhnya yang kesakitan. Sulung dan Bungsu lalu menyeret wanita itu kembali ke rumah. Mereka memintanya untuk segera menyiapkan makanan. Usai menyiapkan makanan sambil menahan sakit tubuhnya, sang Ibu langsung pergi ke kamar. Tanpa merasa bersalah, si Sulung dan Bungsu menyantap makanan buatan ibu mereka. Dalam kamar, wanita tua itu berdoa, “Tuhan, tolong ambil saja nyawaku. Aku sudah tak tahan dengan kelakuan anak-anakku. Biarkan aku menyusul suamiku, Tuhan. Benar kata mereka, seharusnya aku saja yang pergi dari dunia ini.” Setelah berdoa, sang Ibu tertidur dalam sujudnya. Ia tampak sangat lelah menahan sakitnya hati dan raga. Kemudian, ia bermimpi bertemu dengan suaminya. Dalam mimpi tersebut, sang suami mengajaknya pergi ke sungai. Di sungai itu, ada sebuah batu yang teramat besar. Batu itu mengeluarkan cahaya hangat yang menenangkan. Tak lama kemudian, batu itu terbelah menjadi dua. Sang suami lalu masuk ke dalam batu itu.
Setelah itu, sang Ibu terbangun dari mimpinya. “Kenapa aku bermimpi demikian? Pertanda apa ini?” tanyanya dalam hati. Karena penasaran, ia pun datang ke sungai. Malam itu hujan turun dengan derasnya. Namun, perempuan ini tak peduli. Ia tetap berjalan menuju ke sungai. Dalam hati, ia berharap batu itu benar-benar ada. Melihat ibu mereka pergi, si Sulung dan Bungsu mengikutinya diam-diam. Mereka cemas bila sang Ibu kabur meninggalkan mereka. “Awas saja kalau sampai ia melepaskan tanggung jawab merawat kita,” ucap si Bungsu pada kakaknya. Tak selang lama, sampailah ia di tepi sungai. Ia lalu melihat sekitar sungai untuk mencari batu yang ada dalam mimpinya. Tiba-tiba, ia melihat cahaya dan hujan pun berhenti begitu saja. Ia berjalan mendekati sumber cahaya itu. Kemudian, ia melihat sebuah batu besar seperti dalam mimpinya. “Inikah batu yang ada dalam mimpiku? Benarkah batu ini bisa terbuka?” tanyanya dalam hati. “Wahai batu besar, terbukalah. Biarkan aku masuk ke dalam. Jadikan aku pohon rimbun yang berbunga wangi,” ucapnya pada batu itu. Tak lama setelah itu, benar saja, perlahan-lahan batu itu terbuka. Saat hendak masuk ke dalamnya, tiba-tiba si Bungsu berteriak. “Ibu. Jangan masuk ke sana! Bagaimana kalau kau tak bisa kembali?” ucapnya. “Ya, memang itu yang aku harapkan. Aku memang yang melahirkan kalian ke dunia ini, tapi mengingat perlakuan buruk kalian, apa gunanya aku hidup? Kalian bukan lagi anak-anakku,” ucap sang Ibu. Ia lalu berjalan memasuki batu itu. Dalam sekejap mata, batu itu tertutup kembali. Bungsu dan Sulung terkejut. Mereka sama sekali tak percaya dengan apa yang terjadi barusan. Si Bungsu mulai menangis. Ia terus-terusan berteriak memanggil ibunya. “Ibu, ibu! Keluarlah dari batu. Bagaimana bisa kami hidup tanpamu. Kami berjanji tak akan berbuat jahat padamu lagi. Maafkan kami ibu,” teriaknya sambil menangis.
Tiba-tiba saja, di atas batu itu muncul pohon dengan dedaunan hijau yang menyejukkan mata. Pohon itu juga mengeluarkan bunga berwarna putih yang wanginya semerbak. Karenanya, orang-orang lalu menyebut batu itu dengan nama Batu Badaong alias batu berdaun. Lantas, bagaimana dengan nasib kakak beradik yang keji itu? Mereka telah menyesali perbuatannya. Tapi, penyesalan itu datang terlambat. Warga sekitar yang mengetahui kekejaman si Sulung dan Bungsu pun mengusir mereka dari desa. Karena tak punya tempat tujuan, mereka pun mendatangi Batu Badaong. Tak henti-hentinya mereka menangisi batu itu. Mereka berharap batu itu terbuka dan mengembalikan sang Ibu. By Stella passal